Baby carriage or the like having individually rockably supported axles



May 26, 1953 H. MIKLOS 2,539,925

BABY CARRIAGE OR THE LIKE HAVING INDIVIDUALLY ROCKABLY SUPPORTED AXLESFiled Feb. 5, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l .May 26, 1953 H. MIKLOS BABYCARRIAGE OR THE LIKE HAVING INDIVIDUALLY ROCKABLY SUPPORTED AXLES 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 3. 1950 JNVENTOR. #s/merc/r M4405 A I TOANE YPatented May 26, 1953 BABY CARRIAGE 'OR THE LIKE HAVING INDIVIDUALLYROCKABLY SUPPORTED AXLES Heinrich Miklos, Vienna, Austria, assignor AVETransportmittel Holding A. G., St. Moritz,

Switzerland, a firm Application February 3, 1950, Serial No. 142,128-

In Austria February 23, 1949 g 6 Claims. (Cl. 280-5.28)

The present invention relates to baby carriages or the like havingindividually rockably supported axles for facilitating moving up anddown curbstones and stairs.

Baby carriages are known which are provided with a device forfacilitating the movement down and up the curbs when crossing from oneside of a street to the other and for avoiding any change in theposition of the carriage body, which remains horizontal. For thispurpose each axle is supported on a pair of guides, each of which has aguide slot co-operating with a stud fixed on the carriage frame, and islinked at its free end to a lever which is supported by the carriageframe. This lever, being springloaded, urges the wheels toward the road.When a street is being crossed a system of rods extending from the pushbar of the carriage is actuated whereby a locking arrangement providedfor moving on a level surface is released and at the same time anauxiliary wheel, which is co-ordinated with each axle and mounted on apivoted lever in the center plane of the carriage, is swung toward theroad. This arrangement is most complicated and is unsuitable for passingover several successive steps, for example, a staircase.

Baby carriages have also been suggested in which the carriage bodyconsists of two parts so that a baby carriage may be converted into astroller. In this case, in order to be able to respond to thedislocation of the center of gravity of the carriage, the axles consistof cranklike levers, which can be swung through 180 deg. and are held intheir respective extreme positions by tension springs.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a baby carriagewhich can be convenient- 1y moved over stairs.

The essential feature of the invention resides in the fact that at leastone of the axles forms together with its support arms or levers a U-shaped member which is pivoted to the carriage frame and which, whenmoving up and down a stairway, can be swung toward the other axle inorder to shorten the wheelbase. According to a modified construction theU-shaped members, pivotally movable about a fixed pin of the carriageframe, are positively connected with each other to perform essentiallyopposite pivotal movements. In a simple construction according to theinvention, at least one support lever of one wheel axle extends upwardbeyond its pivot pin and is fulcrumed to one end of a link member whoseother end is articulated to the 2 1 support lever of the other wheelaxle below the pivot pin of the second support lever.

In the drawing the invention is shown by way ofexample, Fig. 1 showing aside view of the baby carriage according to the invention and Fig. 2being a top view of one half of the undercarriage of the carriage shownin Fig. 1 and having the seat removed, the other half being like the oneshown in Fig. 2. Figs. 3 to 5 .show side views of the carriage invarious positions for and during going over a'staircase.

. Like'parts are designated by like numerals in all figures of. thedrawing.

The carriage framework consists essentially of a frame, whoselongitudinal members i are slightly bent upward at their ends and havepivot pins 2, 3 for a foot rest 4 and for a back rest 5, respectively.The lateral uprights of back rest 5 are pivoted to arm rests 21 whoseforward ends are connected by pivots 30 with curved members 29, thelatter being connected with the longitudinal members I by pivots 28.Members l support a bottom plate 34.

A bracket member 54 is mounted on the inside of each of the longitudinalmembers I (Figs. 1 and 2). The downwardly-bent ends of members 54 carrypivot pins 55 and 56, the pins 55 at thefront ends, and the pins 56' atthe rear ends, respectively, being coaxial. The pins serve for pivotallymounting support levers l5 and I6 for the axles H and [2, for the frontand rear wheels i3 and I4, respectively. The support levers l5 and 16extend upward beyond their pivot pins. The upward extensions I6 oflevers l6 abut in the-position shown in Fig. 1 against abutments 51on'the members 54 (Fig. 2) so that the U-shaped'part formed by thesupport levers l6 and the rear axle [2 cannot be moved counter-clockwisebeyond the position shown in Fig; 1. The upward extensions l5 of levers[5 have at their ends pivot pins 58 for connecting link members 59,which are articulated at 68. below pivot pins 56, to the support leversIt. The arrangement is'such that the distance of the pivot pin 58 fromthe pin 55 is about twice that of the pivot pin 68 from the pin 56 andthat a straight line extending diametrically through the bolts 58 and 55encloses an'angle of about 120 deg. with a straight line extendingdiametrically through pivots 60 and 56, when the carrier arms I5 and [6are in the position for movement of the carriage on level ground (Fig.1). The lower ends of the support arms [5, l6,'which are made of stripsteel, are twisted through deg. in'respect of their pivotal plane andare connected in pairs below the axles II and I2, respectively, bytransverse rods SI, 62, respectively. Forwardly and upwardly extendingarms 64 are connected at 63 to the front support levers IS. A bolt 65extends from the lower end of each of the arms [5, extends slidablythrough the front axle II, and has its upper end connected with an arm64. A helical compression spring 86, which is concentric with theupright bolt 65, is provided between. the axle H and the arm 64. Therear axle is cushioned in the same manner, as shown in the drawing, acoil spring 66' being placed around a bolt between the axle I2 and thefree end of the rearwardly extending arm 64'. A push bar is connected inthe conventional manner at opposite points 35 with each of thelongitudinal members i of the frame and can be swung on pivots 35 orlocked in position, if desired.

When moving over a level surface the axles H and II with their wheelsII, M are in the position shown in Fig. l andare secured in thisposition by the abutments 51 so that the axles cannot move farther apartbeyond this position under the weight or load of the carriage, whichload is taken up by the springs 66 and 6K. For movement over stairs therear axle I2 is moved from the position according to Fig. l to thataccording to Fig. 3, which movement is effected by a slight lift of therear part of the carriage with the front wheels l3 on the ground, and bya simultaneous forward movement of the axle l2 together with wheels I 4.which movement is effected by means of the foot. Hereby the link member59- is movedv forward to a certain extent. Atv the same time the layersare placed at a less acute angle to the ground so that the carriage isslightly lifted. In this position the carriage is pulled with the handle36 against the first step 6.1: of the staircase until the. rear wheels Mare in contact with. the frontof the step 61 and while. in oon'tactw-ith it are moved to the position shown in Fig. 4 in which thecarrierarms is are turned clockwise farther than: in Fig. 3 and frame I.is farther to the right relative to the axle. 12. At the sametimethesupport levers l5 are-moved by the links '59 into a substantiallyvertical. position as shown in. Fig.- 4, whereby the carriage frame islifted and: rolling of the rear wheels up and over the step'fil' isassisted. By continuously pulling; thebars. 36, the front wheels: l3 arebrought into engagement with the front surface of. the step and whilerolling. over it cause the leversrl5 to return more or'less completelyto the position: shown. in Fig, '3, depending on the horizontalextensionv of the step. At the same time the levers I38. are returned:toward their initial position by meansv of the links 59' and thecarriage frame is lifted agaln because the levers l6 are turnedcounterclockwise, whereby rolling of the front wheels I53 up and overthe step BIis assisted. Thereuponl the rear wheels [4 comezintoengagement with: the front of. the next step Ga and. the processdescribed is repeated. Whenthe carriageis movect down a staircase thedescribed "movements: occur in the opposite succession. As shown,bothwheel-sets of the carriage are always supported from below, even.when moving. overa. staircasebecause the U-shapedwheel supports; arepositively interconnected. Hence'theghandling of this carriage.

is substantially facilitated, the: transition. from step to step taking,place without shocks and without the use: of. a'specialisprinz;fonrepressin'g the rear wheel frame;v because the wheels II,

or centrally below the seat.

l4 roll simultanaeously over the steps regardless of the position of thewheel frames. With the described construction of the linkage connectingthe U-shaped wheel frames, the angle through which the rear wheel framecan be moved is at least twice as great as that through which the frontwheel frame is moved.

The positive connection of the U-shaped frames ll, 6|, [5 and i2, 62, [6can be effected, instead of by the links 59, by other means, e. g., bytoothed segments which are fixed to the pivot pins of the support leversand which are in mesh with each other, or by means of levers, ropes, orthe like. The connecting gear shown, which is provided at bothlongitudinal members of the seat frame, may be provided only on one sideWhen the axles are connected directly to the support levers of theU"-shaped frame portions, the carriage may be cushioned by springsarranged between the support levers and the carriage frame.

Though the invention has been described as applied to a baby carriage,it is obvious that it can be used equally well in connection with othercarriages of similar capacity, for example, for transporting invalids.

I claim:

I. A baby carriage comprising a main frame, a first lever pivoted tosaid main frame andhaving a lower end, a first arm having one endconnected with said first lever and having a free end, a bolt memberconnecting the lower end of said lever and the free end of said arm, a.front wheel axle slidable on said bolt member, a spring interposedbetween said front wheel axle and said arm, a second lever pivoted tosaid main frame and having a lower end, a second arm having one endconnected with said second lever and having a free end, a boltmember'connecting the lower end of said second lever and the free end ofsaid second arm,- a rear wheel axle slidable on said last mentioned boltmember, a. spring interposed between said rear wheel axle and saidsecond arm, and a link member having an end pivoted to one ofsaid leversabove its pivotal connection with the main frame and having its otherend pivoted to the other of said levers below its pivotal connectionwith the main frame for affording countermoving of said levers and axlessupported thereby.

2. A baby carriage as defined in claim 1, said firstarm extendingforward and said second arm extending rearward when the carriage is onlevel ground.

3. A baby carriage or the like comprising a main frame, a front wheelaxle, a rear wheel axle, individual support means for said front wheela'xl'e, individual support means for said rear wheel axle, individualpivotal connections between said support means and said main frame,connecting means, a movable connection between said connecting means andsaid support means for the front wheel axle, said movable connectionbeing farther away from said front wheel axle than the pivotalconnection between the support means for the front wheel axle andsaid'main frame, and a movable connection between said connecting means'and said support means for the rear wheel axle, said last mentionedmovable connectionv being closer to the rear wheel axle than the pivotalconnection between the-support means: for the rear wheel axle and saidmain frame.

t. A baby-carriage or the like comprising a main frame, a. front wheeiaxle; a rearwheel' axle,

.9 individual support means for said front wheel axle, individualsupport means for said rear wheel axle, individual pivotal connectionsbetween saidv support means and said main frame, and connecting meanspivoted to the support means for the front wheel axle above the pivotalconnection of said support means with the main frame and being pivotedto the support means for the rear wheel axle below the pivotalconnection of the last mentioned support means with the main frame.

5. A baby'carriage or the like comprising a main frame, a front wheelaxle, a rear wheel axle, individual support means for said front wheelaxle, individual support means for said rear wheel axle, individualpivotal connections between said support means and said main frame,connecting means pivoted to one of said support means above the pivotalconnection of said support means with the main frame and being pivotedto the other support means below the HEINRICH MIKLOS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 20 1,785,646 Pascoo Dec. 16, 1930 2,525,924 Margiloff Oct.1'7, 1950

